Tennessee Tech University Laboratory Science Building

Upland Design Group, Bauer Askew Architecture

Designed to respond to the Tennessee Tech University Campus Master Plan, and to serve as a focal point for campus recruitment, the Laboratory Science Commons is the keynote feature of a new quadrangle.

The building spans the full width of its Stadium Avenue site. Two wings project eastward to form the quadrangle. Primary walkways border the north and south edges culminating in 3 story tall dual atrium lobbies that house massive 3d sculptures depicting the range of scientific research and instruction. The Atria serve as internal connectors from the science Quadrangle to a future quadrangle across Stadium Avenue and apportion the building into three parts allowing distinct program arrangement. Twelve one-of-a-kind mosaics depicting the sciences are located within each Atria Lobby.

A central Study Commons opens to the building’s focal point, an expansive colonnade and plaza, that centers between the atria overlooking the quadrangle. On the main level a portrait gallery connects the atria honoring notable trailblazing scientists, while large murals filled with inspirational quotes from these scientists adorn the walls within the Study Commons. Glass marker walls are located throughout the building enhancing the potential for study group collaboration while creating the potential for scientific equations to adorn the walls of the building as living art.

The building’s design reflects the precedent setting Georgian campus architecture with a streamlined modernist sensibility creating a dramatic and impactful presence on the campus. Architecture, Interior Architecture, Art Concepts & Artist Procurement, and Furnishing Selection services were provided by the design architect.